Chapter 26- Dead Woman with a Baby Moving Inside Her

f oho wing: “I once asked the virtuous servant of Allah about the case of a woman who dies with her child in her womb. He (the Imam) (a.s.), said, ‘Her belly is opened to remove her child.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a woman who dies and the baby moves inside her belly; is it prescribed to cut open to take the baby out. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, it must be cut open.’ In the narration of Ibn Abi ‘Umayr it is added that after taking out the baby the cut is stitched to close her belly.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.), has said, ‘If a woman dies and in her belly is a child that moves, her belly is cut open to take the baby out.’ He (the Imam), about the case of a woman in whose belly the baby dies and there is fear for her life, has said, ‘A man can use his hand to take out the dead baby (if needed) cut in pieces.’”